Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
Directed by David Yates
Rating: 4 stars
In part 1 of the final installment of Harry Potter, this film is darker and more emotional than the others. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) don't return to Hogwarts this year. They are on a mission to hunt down and destroy Voldemort's (Ralph Fiennes) horcruxes. However, this is not an easy task and frustration is easy to come when you're not so succesful. The horcruxes aren't the only thing on the trio's mind as Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) leaves them another mystery: what is the Deathly Hallows? Harry tries to figure out what Voldemort is up to while their beloved ones are fighting to stay alive. The new Ministry of Magic has been infiltrated by Voldemort's followers, the Death Eaters, and the wizarding world lives under strict precautions while those who aren't "pureblood" are being inspected.
I would give this movie 4 stars. Shocker, right? Personally, I'm a huge Harry Potter fan but that doesn't mean I'm going to automatically give this movie 5 stars. This movie makes you laugh and cry. The actors did a great job at portraying emotions, giving the movie a dark complexion. "These are dark times, there is no denying," says Rufus Scrimgeour (Bill Nighy), the wizarding world's prime minister. Right he is. Just watching the trailers for this movie is enough to make you feel the excitement upon the release.
So why would I give this highly anticipated movie four stars? This movie contains quite a few weaknesses. All I've heard is how great this movie will be and how it is just like the book (source: mugglenet.com). This. Is. A. Lie. Though appropriate, the beginning of the movie was not the same beginning as the book. This was the first disappointment. The beginning that was placed in the movie fit but when you go into a movie with high expectations that it will be just like the book, this is not a good start. Also, I don't understand why David Yates neglected to go into more detail about Dumbledore's past. Dumbledore's back story was not in part one at all. I can only hope to see this in the second part. They should have at least put the correct title of Rita Skeeter's book "The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore".
Kreacher's Tale was also completely neglected. The movie very briefly covered the mystery of who R.A.B was. Kreacher's Tale was very interesting in the book as it pertained to the locket horcrux Dumbledore died for. Harry, Ron, and Hermione's stay at Grimmauld Place was too short as well. That's where they did most of their planning to go in the ministry to take back the locket from Umbridge.
Dobby's voice was annoying too. I know they can't control it if they lose the voice of whoever previously played Dobby in the second Harry Potter movie, but a higher pitched voice bugged me the whole time Dobby spoke. It just wasn't the same Dobby you loved in the second one.
Severus Snape should have gotten more screen time too. Not that he needed a lot. But we should've seen how he was the one responsible for George losing an ear. One of the main questions every reader had was whether Snape was a good guy or not. This was important for the movie to show so we, the viewers, could ask that too. Instead, this is neglected and if you haven't read the book then you won't have the internal mystery of whether Snape is good or evil.
One last thing- Peter Pettigrew. This scene was very vital in the book, when Harry and Ron were taken to the basement of Malfoy Manor by Peter Pettrigrew. It's so important because of Harry and Peter's connection. Since Harry had let Peter go free in the third book/movie, Peter became indebted to Harry. His death would have been important to see. This is something the writers should have included because the readers of the book deserve to have this last movie done right.
The movie did have its strengths though, don't get me wrong. Voldemort's meeting with the Death Eaters was great, it really showed how intimidating he is. You don't really see much of Voldemort in the movies except for some scenes. I really liked this scene because you see the power Voldemort has over these people.
The scene at Godric's Hallow was done really well. It was scary. Bathilda Bagshot was so perfect at portraying how creepy she was. Especially the scene where she turned back into Nagini, Voldemort's snake. I really liked how we got to see Harry's house and how it was destroyed. I was worried that they would skip it.
Dobby's funeral was spot-on perfect. This was exactly how I pictured it in the book. They nailed it. The writers did a great job at portraying the emotion of his death. It was very touching and Daniel Radcliffe showed the emotion of losing a friend so well. Especially when his lines of wanting to bury Dobby properly, without magic.
Overall, I left the movie theater disappointed. The movie did a great job at playing the emotions, though there was some light humor that was nice to be included. These are just my initial reactions to the movie and I know not everyone will agree with me. For example, almost everyone I've talked to that didn't read the book loved it. As well as those who watched the movie with no expectations. That's where I was at fault. I was so excited to see this movie that my expectations were heaven-high. However, this isn't the last time I will see it. I think you'll enjoy it, maybe even think it deserves five stars. So enjoy and don't make the same mistake as me by going to see this with high expectations. Not after you've read this review.
